Traffic management

The works will be carried out at night (20:00 – 06:00) under full road closures. Noisy works, such as planning, must finish before 23:00 near residential areas, however there will be some construction noise for the duration of the works.

Phase 2

Church Street/High Street and Ell’s Lane/Bloxham Grove Road junction is currently being planned. Dates will be confirmed shortly.

Diversion

An approved signed diversion route will be put in place for all through traffic and HGVs to direct them away from the closures via a major signed diversion route (A44, A4095 and A4260) while local residents will be able to use local roads.

Road markings and lining

All required road markings and lining will be reinstated upon the completion of the resurfacing activities.

Progress to date

We have been progressing the junctions and shared footway designs and have been engaged in the mobilisation and procurement of resurfacing, drainage, Traffic Management and lining contractor for the main surfacing and drainage works.

What is going to happen over the next few weeks?

Agree and programme in Bloxham Village and Bloxham Grove Road junction surfacing extent

Programme additional drainage works.

Why we are doing this work

The Safer Roads Foundation (SRF) identified A361, between Banbury and Chipping Norton, as one of the 50 sections of A-class roads with the highest risk of fatal and serious road traffic accidents.

The accidents recorded on the route were quite diverse but include loss of control incidents, particularly at bends and junction accidents. The higher severity accidents are mainly on the more rural stretches, with comparatively few being recorded within the two villages Bloxham and South Newington.

The Oxfordshire County Council was invited to bid for funding allocated by the Department for Transport (DfT) and following work to identify appropriate measures to reduce accident risk to all users, a bid was submitted in April 2017 to the DfT and was successful.

We have received £4.135m to deliver the agreed A361 road safety improvements by 31 March 2020.